Thanks in Advance

I strongly urge you to check out “This is My Illinois:
Thanks in Advance” at www.ThisIsMyIllinois.com and on Facebook at
facebook.com/ThisisMyIllinois.

We
want to help you understand the most urgent issue facing our great
state. It is the public pension squeeze, and it impacts the future of
our workers, taxpayers and our children.

Unfortunately, the
most urgent issue facing our great state is not easy to comprehend. The
process in which a pension system works can be complicated. The problem
has been seven decades in the making. It affects our citizens in every
aspect of their daily lives yet in ways that are difficult to see and
grasp.

Before we can tackle the pension problem, we think
it's critical for everyone to understand its nature and the magnitude
of its impact. We need to raise awareness and show people how the
problem affects them. It is a complicated subject, but you don’t have
to be an accountant to understand the issues, nor do you need to be a
politician in order to change the system for the better.

Therefore,
I strongly urge you to check out "This is My Illinois: Thanks in
Advance" to get more information and learn how you can make a
difference. It is a public information initiative through the website
ThisIsMyIllinois.com, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
This website has broken down the pension squeeze into clear, simple,
language that explains the problem with examples that everyone can
relate to. And here, you can learn how to help raise awareness and get
involved.

This problem will not go away. And it is one of
those problems where, the longer we wait to solve it, the bigger the
problem grows, and our challenge becomes even more difficult.

All
of us have a responsibility to make our government work for the people
of Illinois - for ourselves, our neighbors and our children and
grandchildren. For our state, most of us agree this means living within
our means, adequately funding public programs that protect our most
vulnerable citizens, investing in our future to provide every
generation the opportunity to succeed, and to ensure that those who
rely on public pensions have a secure retirement.

Our state
has faced serious challenges before, and we have persevered. This
experience reminds us that no challenge is too great, and no problem is
unsolvable. However, the pension problem will not solve itself. We must
act. With your help, we can rise to the occasion and solve this
problem. We will solve this problem.